Rosebank resident Eddie Cruz drinks his coffee at before going to work in Pleasant Plains.Staten Island Advance/Irving Silverstein

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. --

Snow is falling fast and furious as the National Weather Service is issuing an alert warning of "near blizzard conditions" in New York City.

A band of very heavy snowfall with rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour is expected to continue through 10 a.m., the service said.

Gusts of 30 TO 40 miles per hour are expected to develop through mid morning resulting in near zero visibility. Travel is not recommended.

The Advance will be providing live updates all day Thursday on how Staten Islanders are coping with the storm.

The snow is causing speed restrictions on all the Staten Island crossings and major delays on the Staten Island Expressway. The Staten Island Ferry also is running on a modified schedule. Delays are reported on all Staten Island express and local buses.

Even though the plows are out in force, the roads are slushy and slippery and visibility is reduced because of fog and light snowfall. The turnover to rain is expected to happen by about 11 a.m. on Thursday, according to AccuWeather. Rain is anticipated to continue through the evening commute and possibly turn into snow overnight. The last snow flake is supposed to hit by about 6 a.m. on Friday at the start of the Valentine's Day a.m. commute.